First school-based program battling radicalization launches in Calgary
Posted Feb 17, 2015 12:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Calgary mother whose 22-year-old son was killed fighting alongside ISIS in Syria last year is sharing her story, hoping it will help stop others from taking the same path her son did.
Canada’s first school-based program to combat radicalization among young people in Canada was launched Tuesday, featuring a series of films and educational resources called ‘Extreme Dialogue’ and was hosted by the University of Calgary.
Christianne Boudreau’s son, Damian Clairmont, was killed after joining the Islamist militant group last year, after telling her he was going to Egypt to study.
Boudreau said parents need to know that no family is immune, regardless of nationality or demographic.
“We’re a diverse group here in Canada and it can affect anybody and if we think that it’s only going to happen over there, then we’re leaving ourselves open to harm,” she said.
Another focus of the group is battling online propaganda. Counter-extremism expert Dr. Rachel Briggs said, whether anti-Semitic rhetoric or ISIS recruiting from the west, it’s unavoidable that teenagers and young adults will come across the content on the Internet, no matter how quickly security services work to get it down.
“If we can’t shield our young people from the content entirely, it’s make sure that they have the skills to see that propaganda for what it is, and that’s what ‘Extreme Dialogue’ is all about, giving them the skills, the know-how and the critical thinking knowledge to be able to see that propaganda for what it is,” she said.
For more information, visit extremedialogue.org.
